Take Chances

"Oftentimes, we live and we go through life just accepting things for the way they are. And oftentimes, all we have to do is make a decision to change."

"Be around people whose games are elevated."

Finding Fulfilling Work

I've been in transition during the last few months, which has got me thinking a lot about fulfilling work, what that means to me, and how to get it. In October I bought a book called The Quarter-Life Breakthrough, and have been mulling it over ever since. The author talks about how these days, people (millennials in particular) don't just want a job that makes money, but also brings meaning to their lives. Furthermore, how the model of a career ladder is outdated and now career "paths" should be more like jumping lily pads, going laterally rather than longitudinally based on an evolving set of passions and interests. He also emphasizes that it is okay to not know what you want (at any age) and it is okay to want something different now than you did earlier in your life.

Welcome to Indian Country II

This is a version of a post from a few years ago when I first wrote about feast day at the Indian pueblos. Feast day at San Ildefonso Pueblo was Friday.


One of the things I love about New Mexico is the culture, particularly that of the Native Americans, whose spirituality I have been fascinated with for quite some time. A couple times a year the various pueblos open their villages to the public and welcome people to share the experience of honoring their ancestors, the land, and the spirits. Tribal feast days celebrate the birth of their patron saint; each pueblo's feast day occurs on a different day throughout the year. Dances are performed and traditional food is served; smoke from juniper-burning fires fills the crisp air like incense. You are not allowed to photograph, nor make any audio or video recordings during ceremonials (there are signs everywhere reminding people of this). The feast days are not advertised other than a short listing on some of the tourism and cultural websites because the Indians do not intend their celebrations to be tourist attractions. Most of the people who come are Natives from other tribes who have been invited or have family in the pueblo. In part this is what makes the experience so special.

San Ildefonso Pueblo is just north of Santa Fe and the home of the famous potter Maria Martinez. Two different dances were performed in the north and south plazas which are divided by a huge cottonwood tree. The first one we saw was the buffalo deer dance in the north plaza; as the dancers left the kiva (where they rest between performances), they bent over and began dancing on "all-fours," holding a long stick in each hand and tapping them on the ground simultaneously with their feet. They wear traditional clothing, antler headdresses, and bells attached to belts around their waists. Following the dancers was the group of drummers, who played a continuous, pulsing beat along with their chanting; the whole procession lasts about 15 minutes. In the south plaza was the Comanche dance. These dancers wore large feather headdresses similar to the Plains Indians; they were also accompanied by a group of chanting drummers. Every 20th beat or so the dancers would stop and make a loud bird-calling noise like an eagle. Although just as I thought I had the timing down, it would change with the next round... 20...23...19...30... 

For a number of years I have had the privilege to go to feast day at this pueblo and it has always had some personal meaning. When my mom was young there was a woman from San Ildefonso who came to clean her house and became good friends with my grandmother. It is always nice to know someone in the pueblo if you are going to their house to eat, and due to the nature of their connection the family was invited to Angelita's house on feast days. Angelita and my grandmother have since passed away, but whenever we go to the pueblo we make a point of stopping at the house which her daughter Eva now occupies. According to my mom, the house looks almost exactly the same as it did when she visited as a little girl. Eating at any of the Indians' homes is a communal, family-style activity. We wait in the living room until space opens up at the kitchen table and when we are called to eat there is set before us a plethora of traditional dishes to choose from. People are constantly coming and going so within the 20 minute time period we sat at the table, there were half a dozen different groups of people who joined us. The women also cook for the dancers and periodically take food to them while they are resting in the kivas.

Find the Hidden

"I don't know what it is about people who see things in other people that they don't see in themselves."

"It's really important in all of our lives, in what we do, we treat each other fairly and we give each other a chance; and we see the hidden talent in the person you work with, in your mother and father, in your your kids..."

Right In Tune: Recent Paintings

I have had a lot of time on my hands lately, thus I've started painting again. Needless to say, it feels really good; in the last few weeks I 've cranked out at least half a dozen. I consider these exercises to get me back in the groove of having a brush in my hand; there is no agenda for the finished piece. Oftentimes I'm listening to music, tuning into the flow of a song or playlist, visualizing what the rhythms look like and orchestrating my hand accordingly. This is a similar practice to something my mom used to do with me as a kid: sit down with paper and markers, close my eyes, listen to a piece of music and draw what I saw or felt. During my most recent painting sessions I've been into some form of soft techno beats and hip hop.

Spring Winds

The Cosmos

Untitled

Electric Feel

The Oregon Coast

Back in September I flew to Portland with my parents to visit my brother, his girlfriend and their two dogs. It had been a few years since I'd been to Oregon and even longer since I'd visited the coast. We spent three days at a beach house in Manzanita, a small town about two hours from Portland.

Ginger (in front) and Aias

12x12 for $144 V

This year, my 12x12 was inspired by a knot on the right side of the wood panel, which I've left untouched throughout the process of creating the artwork. Looking at the organic shape led to me thinking about satellite images of the Earth and the mixture of patterns and colors we don't realize are there when we are on the ground.

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6x6s by the students of Escuela del Sol